SWRCB: Updates to the Cannabis Cultivation Policy Effective as of April 16, 2019

On April 16, 2019, the Office of Administrative Law approved the updates to the Cannabis Policy, and the new provisions went into effect. The focus of the updates to the Cannabis Policy involve: (a) allowing some existing onstream reservoirs to obtain water rights for cannabis cultivation; (b) updating the Water Boards tribal notification process for cannabis cultivation sites that are on or within 600 feet of Tribal lands; (c) updates to tribal buffers conditionally exempt for indoor cultivation sites; and (d) updates to the winterization requirements to allow for cultivation on flat lands.

The State Water Board is now accepting applications for onstream reservoir Cannabis Small Irrigation Use Registration through the Cannabis Cultivation Program Application Portal (Portal). If you have any questions regarding submitting an application for an onstream reservoir, please contact Division of Water Rights Cannabis Registrations staff by phone at (916) 319-9427 or by email at CannabisReg@waterboards.ca.gov.

Please note the Portal will be offline next weekend from April 26 at 5 p.m. through April 29 at 7 a.m. for updates.

Please visit the Water Boards’ Cannabis Cultivation webpage to view the updated Cannabis Policy and other related documents and to apply for your State Water Board permits today.

We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news, photos, videos, workshop schedules, and other information related to the Water Boards Cannabis Program.